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Monday, July 11, 2016

3B Asian Beauty Box July 2016 Review

The 3B Box is one of the most affordable Asian beauty sampling boxes out there right now. You'll usually receive 4-5 deluxe size samples but many times full sizes have managed to sneak their way in. It's a fun way to try new skincare and beauty products from Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Since Asian beauty typically focuses more on skincare, you'll find more products for your skin and face than you will makeup. It's not that there isn't makeup, there's just not a whole lot of it. Statistics say that Korean women spend 80% of their beauty budget on good skincare and the remaining 20% on make up.The Cost: $12/monthWhat You Get: Four to five deluxe size Asian beauty samples from Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

3WClinic Intensive UV Sunblock Cream- Having clear, beautiful, undamaged skin is very important in Asia. They have some of the best sunscreens out there and they are regularly included in skincare routines-- sometimes in the form of a BB cream (tinted moisturizer with sunscreen). I'm not surprised to see one in this summertime box. Generally, these sunscreens have added skin benefits like aloe, antioxidants and such.

UNT Aqua Nettoyant Cleanser- This product is from Taiwan and is a gentle hydrating cleanser. It has a high concentration of amino acids which are the building blocks for peptides. The pH is around 5.5 so it's perfect for keeping your skin barrier healthy! I'm excited to try this because properly pH balanced cleansers seem to be awfully hard to find. It also has micro beads to scrub out your pores.

Etude House Pink Vital Water Facial Emulsion- Etude House has a reputation for adorable packaging and cute makeup. I haven't been as impressed with their skincare. For the most part, it's not bad, it's just not great either. Or maybe I mean you can find something else that's better. In any case, this might be better than what you already have so that would be a win! Especially if you're using nothing at all. I use so many products on my face. My skin is so dry it needs all the extra help it can get!

Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lovely Lip Patch- These things are almost ubiquitous in Korean skincare. If you haven't tried one, you should, and here's your chance. I freely admit to you that they don't do much and they're annoying to wear (I love to talk!) but they are FUN! So slap this on and take a selfie. Dooo itttt!

VERDICT: I'll tell you right now that this box was a win and for one reason. A 5.5pH cleanser! They are like unicorns or... coelacanths. My skin has improved by leaps and bounds just because of switching out my cleanser for one with a proper pH. A few weeks ago, I tested a Nooni Snowflake cleanser with a pH I knew was too high (pH of 7, I think). Bad idea. Once you realize how important your skin barrier is, when you wash off all of it's protection it's even more noticeable how necessary it is. My dry skin needs it's barrier and the hydration it provides along with protection from environmental irritants. It took me nearly a week and a half to recover from that. If you also have dry skin you should also stay away from products with alcohol and/or witch hazel in them. Witch hazel is an astringent which can be good for those with oily, acne prone skin but if you're dry, the alcohol content is going to wreak havoc. Witch hazel is created by soaking witch hazel in an alcohol solution of up to 14%. That's a lot of alcohol to put on parched skin.
Besides the new cleanser, the sunscreen is appropriate (and using it helps keeps you from getting wrinkles and spots from sun damage-- yay!) and always useful. The Tony Moly lips always make me smile even though they have never done much at all for my lips.

If you would like to sign up for The 3B Box, you can do that here! It's a fun taste of Asian beauty if you're just getting interested. It's an easy, affordable way to test products out and 3B does a great job of curating both popular and useful skincare.

2 comments:

Congrats on your first box! You never know when you'll find the perfect product and Asian beauty products aren't super easy to find and test. At least where I live so this makes a fun addition to my collection.